Cutter



R. E. LEAVEN S CUTTER Filed March 14, 1942 Sept. 2.1, 1943.

Patented Sept. 21, 1943 UNITED STATES FATENT OFFICE CUTTER Robert E. Leavens, Houston, Tex.

Application March 14, 1942, Serial No. 434,731

2 Claims. (Cl. 14S- 160) duced in width and tted into the radial slots I2 l as shown in Figure 4 and vsuitably secured there- This invention relates to a cutter and has particular relation to a cutter i-or separating citrus fruits, vegetables, such as potatoes and the like, into sections.

An vobject of the invention is to provide a manually operable cutter formed with radial blades of such construction as to readily separate lemons, oranges, potatoes andthe like into similar segments.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an implement of the character described having separate radial blades whichl are so lassembled and secured together that they will penetrate through and completely sever the fruit or vegetableinto sections without bruising or mutilating the sections or squeezing the juice therefrom.

With the above and other'objects in View the invention has particular relation to certain novel features of construction, operation and arrangement of parts, examples of which are given in this specication and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

on the vknob Il Will force the blade assembly downwardly through the fruit or vegetable on the table, the apex of the cutter assembly penetrating the fruit and the outer and inner edges of the blades completely severingr the fruit into similar sections.' Since the blades are independent of each other they are sufficiently yieldable Figure 1 shows a side View of the implement showing the base in section and with the cutter blades in position to section the fruit.

Figure 2 shows yan end view showing thecutter blades at the end of the stroke.

Figure 3 shows a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of Figure 1, and

Figure 4 shows a section severed from the fruit.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing whereinlike numerals of reference designate the same parts in each of the figures, the numeral I designates the base as a whole which is of inverted, box-like construction and whose top forms a table 2 having a central opening 3 and the blade slots 4 radiating therefrom. Y

Upstanding from the ends of the base and secured to the table 2 there are the guides 5, 5.

There is a yoke E whose ends are' formed with` the vertically, elongated bearings 1, 1 which slide on the guides 5, 5 and whose downward movement is limited by the stops 8, 8 on the guides.

There is a shank 9 whose upper end is reduced and tted upwardly through the yoke 6 and secured thereto by the set screw l0. The reduced upper end of the shank vis threaded to receive the hand knob l l which is screwed thereon.

The lower end of the shank 9 is flared and is provided with radial slots as I2 which are spaced apart therearound. y

There is an assembly of radial cutter blades I3. The outer margins of these cutter bladestaper downwardly toward an apex and are provided with sharp cutting edges and their inner margins vmeet at a common vertical axis and are also formed with sharp cuttingr edges as shown in Figure 3. The upper ends of the blades are reto not exert a squeezing pressure against the sections between the blades so that no juice will be squeezed out of the fruit while it is being separated into sections.v As the cutter assembly is moved downwardly the blades work through the bladeslots A of the table 2'. k

The `drawing and description are illustrative merely, While the broad principle of the invention willA be dened by the appended claims.

What I claim is;

v 1. Anv implement of the character described having ap table provided with a central opening and having blade slots radiating from the opening, spaced guides upstanding from the table, n

a yoke having elongated end bearings which slide lon the guides, a shank whose upper end is reduced and tted upwardly through the yoke, an end knob threaded on to the'upper end of the shank, the lower end of the shank being flared and provided with radial slots spaced apart therearound, an assembly of cutter blades Whose f outer margins arevtape'red downwardly and provided `with sharp cutting edges and whose inner margins meet at a common vertical axis and are formed with sharp cutting edges, the upper ends of the blades being reduced in width and tted shank but-capable of relative yielding movement axis of the shank and are formed with sharp cutting edges, the ends of the blades, adjacent `the shank, being independently xedly secured,y

to said end of the shank and being yieldableto allow relative yielding movement of the blades beneath the shank.

ROBERT E. LEAVENS. 

